A variety of fragrance dispensers are presently employed to overcome odors and dispense desired fragrances. Certain of these devices employ a container with a protruding wick. However, wick dispensers, even when reinforced with circulating fans, typically do not emit fragrance at a rate sufficient to mask truly offensive odors.
Pressurized aerosol dispensers, with pressure supplied either by a manual pump or a pressurized can, do emit an aerosol spray at a much higher rate than the wick dispenser. However, because the pressurized devices must be operated manually their effectiveness is limited. Their fragrance lasts for only a short duration and is typically dispensed or sprayed only after unpleasant odors are sensed.
An alternative fragrance dispenser employs a solid aluminum-clad fragrance disk which is heated electrically to evaporate the solid and thereby dispense the fragrance. Although this device emits a relatively high level of scent and is operated automatically, it requires line power and cannot be operated on low-voltage batteries. Furthermore, the replacement disks are relatively expensive and the disks themselves have a limited operational life of only approximately forty-five minutes.